Reach trucks are used in warehouse environments to transport palletized goods. A lift mechanism on the front of the truck allows pallets to be lifted from shelving units and moved or rearranged. Reach trucks are operated by a operator who either sits or stands at the controls in the reach truck. An overhead guard, which is attached to the lift mechanism and/or a corner post of the chassis, protects the driver from falling or dropped objects. While the operator is protected from above by the lift mechanism of the reach truck, the operator can be left completely unprotected on the remaining two or three sides of the reach truck from the top of the chassis to the bottom of the overhead guard. The operator may thus be vulnerable to being seriously injured or impaled by accidental side impact with fixed objects such as storage shelving.